Alchemy
Many from Witchers to mages, blacksmiths to herbalists use the various alchemical ingredients found throughout the world. These are used to create anything from potions to bombs and Witcher Oils. All alchemical creations are based on formulae. These recipes are generally found in the form of scrolls, but some are acquired through word of mouth. Scrolls can be purchased, found or acquired as rewards for services rendered. Ingredients Mixtures (potions, oils and bombs) are created by combining selected ingredients, which include herbs, monster parts and minerals, with a medium, referred to as a base. The base determines the type of mixture to be created. Alcohol is the base for potions, grease is used for oils, and black powder serves as the base for making bombs. * Plant Extracts: '''petals, leaves and roots can be picked directly from plants. * '''Monster Extracts: After defeating a monster, one can extract components from its corpse. * 'Minerals/Liquid: A'vailable in alchemy shops, they can be purchased without any special skills or knowledge, but they can be relatively expensive. Special Ingedients Items which can be obtained by slaying unique monsters, and occasionally, from plants. These can be used to create unique potions with powerful effects (often granting additional talents to be used to obtain skills, or granting special skills directly). Potions The transformations witchers undergo as children enable their mutated bodies to use magic potions that would be deadly to an ordinary person. These potions increase witchers' fighting abilities, render them immune to venoms, enable them to see in the dark. Witchers usually drink magic decoctions in preparation for a fight, but do so less frequently in combat due to lack of time. It should be noted the mages can also concoct Witcher potions, and these potions can be ingested by all humanoid races, though they put themselves at extreme risk by consuming them. Witchers' potions are toxic and slowly poison a witcher and so they must cleanse their body in the way of meditation, in order to expel the poison from their system. Witchers must be careful when they do consume potions to not overload their systems, lest they be overcome by the poison's effects and at the least become dizzy and disorientated and at the worst, die. Witchers can work to increase their tolerance levels but they can never become immune to the numerous effects. Oils From studying the weaknesses of various monster species, the witchers gained knowledge that allowed them to develop deadly blade coatings. These coatings, referred to as oils, employ simple magic and are adapted to take advantage of vulnerabilities in each beast's physiology. For example, knowing that he may face a ghoul, the witcher prepares Necrophage Oil and coats his weapon with it before the battle. The oil will also be effective against other necrophages like graveirs. Oils are created much like other mixtures, the ingredients are mixed with a base, which in this case is grease. Blades can be coated with oils at any time, but it does take time to do this, so the middle of a battle is not considered a "good" time. Blades and arrows alike used by non-witchers can be coated in these oils, but they are typically of exclusive use to witchers as they have been specifically trained to combat these monsters, and as such, it is a rarity to see, for example, a town guard using an oil to fight a creature. Bombs The formulae for explosives or bombs were brought by merchants from faraway Zerrikania. These devices are rare. Traditional witcher training does not include any schooling in bomb use, but thanks to their basic alchemy abilities, witchers are capable of making and using explosives, as is anyone with alchemical talent. In contrast to potions and oils, anyone can use these safely, provided of course they do not injure themselves with the bomb. Bombs are made much like other mixtures. Their ingredients are mixed with a base, namely black powder.